James p



Jan. 29, 1924. 1,482,148

- J. P. RATIGAN CLAMP Filed Jan. 4, 1922 IN V EN TOR.

J0 u Jd-m PRafyan.

I BY

KWMEYS.

Patented Jan. 29, 1924.

JAMES P. RATIGAN, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CLAMP.

Application filed January 4, 1922.

To all whom t 01mg/ concern.'

Be it known that l, JAMES P. RA'rIeAN, a citizen et Great Britain, residingv at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful fClamp, oi which the lfollowing` is a speciication.

This invention relates to clasps of the tyA employed in the well drilling and pumping` art, andan object ot the inve tion is to provide a reliable clamp ot this nature to securely hold the polish rod, or other elemento't the well drilling or pumping i'nechanisn'i' so that the polish rod and the parts suspended therefrom, or any other elements held by the clamp, may be raised from the well and -lowered thereintc, as occasion demands.

Another object is toprevent beinlingg,- of the clamping screw or screws when they are loosened sufiiciently to relieve pressure ot the block upon the polish rod or other element held by the clamp.

A further object is to provide for connecting` the clamp to a suspension tackle in such manner that the clamping screws will be readily accessible and, at the saine time. the clamp will be in balance when supported by the suspension tackle.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention 1 is a perspective view of a clamp constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention.

llfig. 2 is plan section, approximately on `the irregular line indicated by 9.-, Fig.

There is provided a body iruflicated in general by the character 3 provided in one 'lace with a longitudinally entending groove si. The inner 'face oi one side wall et thegroove it 1s channeled, preferably being V- shaped as indicated at 5. The wall at the other side of the groove 1s indicated. at 6. Extending' outwardly from the face 5 is a nose 7. The body 3 is provided with upper f and lower rearwardly extending .flanges 8 to strengthen the body. The necessity ter providing' a very strong construction iter a clamp of this nature will he the more readily comprehended when it is held in .nnnd that 'the clamp is often required to support a sucker line ot several thousands oit feet in length or other elements of great wein-ht.

Adapted to he positioned lengthwise in the groove i is a clamping` block 9. one or more faces ot which are grocved parallel rpoint opposite to the V-shaped face 5.

Serial Nfo. 526,966.

with the groove 4. In the particular instance shown in the drawings, the block is provided with four grooves of varying widths, as indicated at 10, 11, 12 and 13. The grooves in the block preferably have curved faces so as to approximately lit the peripheri-s of the various elements which are to be supported by the clamp. lnthe drawings I have shown a polish rod 11i engaging at one side the clamp face and enraging at its other side the groove 10 of the lamping block 9.

To adjustably hold the clamping block 9 in engagement with the rod 14, or othell ele- Vnient to be supported, I provide a screw or screws 15 which are threaded through the wall 6 and project into the groove 4: at a The screws 15 are provided with square heads 1G te torni wrench seats so that said screws may he turned by a wrench applied thereto.

`ln the instance Shown in the drawings the inner ends ot the screws 15 engage the groove 12 oit the block 9.

There are provided suitable means for preventing` downward bending of the inner ends of the screws 15 when said screws are loosened to relieve ypressure of the block 9 upon the rod 14, since, when the screws are` loosened, the block 9 would tend to be pulled downwardly by the polish rod 14;. These means may be variously constructed within the scope ot the appended claims and, in this instance, to prevent downward slippirngl ot the block the upper end oi the block 9 is prcvided with a head forming a lateral projection or sl'ionlder i7 adapted to seat upon the Hat top tace 'lt oi the body 3. The block 9 is provided at its npiicr end with an eye 19, to which is secured one end oi a flexible connection 20, inV this instance a chain that has its opposite end encircling one et the screws 15. This chain 20 prevents complete separation of the block and bedy so that the block will always he held in position to make it readily accessible to ythe operator for placing it in clamping position.

The body 3 may be provided longitudi nally thereof with sockets 21 to receive the ends of the cables of the suspension tackle,

23 of cable-coupling members 2a having sockets 25 in which may be secured the ends ot' the cables 26 oi' the suspension tackle. The studs project beyond the outer faces of the members 2d, and are provided in the projecting portions with t 'ansversely eX- tending holes 27 in which are placed cotter pins 28 to detaehably hold the cableecoupling members 24; on the studs.

The means described above for connecting the body 3 with the suspension tackle may be otherwise constructed within the scope of the appended claims and, in any event, the connecting` means will be positioned on opposite sides oi the prolonged axis of the screw or screws l5, the body having a leg BOdisposed at an angle to the axis of the screw l5 and said leg` being provided with one of the sockets 2l and studs 22. The connecting ineans are in a plane that passes through the axis oi" the rod that is held by the clamp. Thus the suspension tackle will not interfere with turning of the screws l5 and the clamp will be in balance when suspended from the tackle with a sucker line supported by the clamp.

Assuming that the body 3 is suspended by suitable tackle, that the screws l5 are in retracted position, and that the block 9 is displaced from the groove l, to effect clamping ot the polish rod lll, the body 3 will be swung into position to cause the polish rod to be positioned in the groove d. rEhen the clamping block 9 will be lowered endwise into the groove 4 in position to cause one of its grooved faces to engage the rod 14. rlhe block will be lowered until the shoulder 17 rests upon the upper tace of the body 3, thus supporting said block. Then the screws l5 will be tightened to iorce the block toward the V-shaped tace l5 so as to securely clamp the rod 14C between the face and block 9 as clearly shown in Fig.

Iiidesired, the grooved faces of the block may each be provided with a series of transverse ridges 29 to .more securely clamp the smooth polish rod or other element.

The invention is not limited to the exact construction shown in the drawings and above described, but may be embodied in any form falling within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A clamp of the character described, comprising a body having a groove, one Vwall of the groove being channeled to receive a polish rod, a block in the groove having a groove opposed to the channel, a screw passing through the wall ol' the groove opposite to thc channel and loosely engaging i the block to force it toward the channel, and

means on opposite sides of the prolonged axis of the screw to connect the body with a suspension tackle, the body having a leg disposed at an angle to the axis of the screw and said leg being provided with one of the said connecting means and the connecting means being in a plane that passes through the axis oi the rod that is held between the body and block.

2. A clamp of the character described, comprising a body having a groove, one wall of the groove being channeled to receive a polish rod, a block in the groove having grooves in its opposite faces, one of the grooves in the block being opposed to the channel, a screw passing through the wall of the groove opposite to the channel and engaging loosely in the other groove of the block, and means on opposite sides of the prolonged axis of the screw to connect the body with a suspension tackle, the body hav ing a leg disposed at an angle to the axis of the screw and said leg being provided with one of the said connecting means and the connecting means being in a plane that passes through the axis of the rod that is held between the body and block.

8. A clamp of the character` described, comprising a body having a groove, one wall of the groove being channeled to receive a polish rod, a block in the groove -having a groove opposed to the channel, means loosely engaging the block to torce said block toward the channel, there being a lateral projection on the block engaging the body to prevent downward slipping of the block in the body when the block-forcing means are retracted, and means on opposite sides of the body to connect said body with a suspension tackle, the body having a leg disposed at an angle to the axis ol the screw and said leg being provided with one of said connecting means and the connecting means being` in a plane that passes through the axis of the rod that is held between the body and block. n

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 28th day of December, 1,921,

JAMES P. RATIGAN. Titnesses Grenen H. l-lrLEs, L. BELLE VEAVER. 

